Sperry

Question 1

What was the aim of Sperry’s study?

Answer 1

To investigate the functions of both hemispheres and to find out the effects of hemisphere deconnection in split brain patients.

Question 2

What is lateralisation of brain function?

Answer 2

The 2 hemispheres have specialised and different functions from one another.

Question 3

what is corpus callosum?

Answer 3

The part of the brain that sends messages from the left hemisphere to the right and vice versa.

Question 4

What is hemisphere deconnection?

Answer 4

The brain procedure where the corpus callosum is stopped to prevent messages sent between hemispheres.

Question 5

What is epilepsy ?

Answer 5

When an individual has recurrent seizures which is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of the left side of the brain?

Answer 6

Language

Question 7

What are the characteristics of the right side of the brain?

Answer 7

emotions and creativity

Question 8

Why did participants have to have the brain surgery?

Answer 8

Medication wasn’t working for their seizures

Question 9

What was the research method?

Answer 9

Quasi- because it was looking at split patients compared to non split patients.

Question 10

Describe the participants

Answer 10

11 males and females

All had hemisphere deconnected

Question 11

What was the procedure of the visual test?

Answer 11

Participants sat in front of a projection screen and focused on the fixation point in the middle.
Given visual stimuli (image/word) would appear for 1/10th of a second on the screen.
Stimuli was presented either to one visual field or both.

Question 12

What was the procedure of the tactile tests?` (using touch)

Answer 12

below the screen was a grab bag, so participants could reach objects in the bag, but they couldn’t see in the bag.
Different tests were used e.g. object was put in either left or right hand and they have to identify the objects.

Question 13

What happened when stimuli was presented to one visual field ?

Answer 13

If a stimulus was shown to one visual field, it was only recognised again if it was shown to the same visual field

Question 14

What happened if an image was presented to the left visual field?

Answer 14

The participants could point to a matching picture or object with left hand, even though they said they hadn’t seen anything.

Question 15

What was the nude pin- up image test?

Answer 15

A nude pin-up image was presented to the left visual field, participants would giggle or blush but couldn’t say why.

Question 16

What happened when ? an $ were shown to both visual fields?

Answer 16

Participants asked to say what they saw and would say $, but when asked to draw what they saw, they drew ?

Question 17

What happened when the word key was shown to the left visual field and case to the right visual field ?

Answer 17

Would SAY they read the word case, but would select the key from a pile of objects with their left hand.
However could put the two together.

Question 18

What happened in the tactile test?

hands have memories

Answer 18

Participants were unable to retrieve an object with their right hand if it had first been sensed with the left.

Question 19

What was a second result of the tactile test?

Answer 19

if an object was placed in their right hand, they could say what they were holding, but if held in the left, they couldn’t say what they were holding.

Question 20

What did Sperry conclude?

Answer 20

When the brain is disconnected we see two separate selves, each with its own memory.